How Sleep Lays the Foundation for Health and Wellness

Looking for sleeping tips? Zillion coaches weigh-in.

It’s Sleep Awareness Week! The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) kicks-off this campaign each year at the beginning of Daylight-Saving Time to celebrate and encourage the prioritization of sleep health.

Sleep supports the foundation of good health and wellness, allowing us to feel more energized, maximizing productivity and contributing to good habits. Unfortunately, the NSF’s 2020 report1 revealed that Americans feel sleepy an average of three days a week. Those who felt sleepy five to seven days a week noted especially high rates of irritability (52 percent), headaches (40 percent), and feeling unwell (34 percent).

Our bodies and minds need to time to recuperate. Getting enough sleep not only provides the rest we need to show up as our best selves, it also ensures our bodies can complete important restorative processes. We asked a few of our RestoreHealth coaches why they prioritize sleep and how they make time for recovery.

Here's how to prepare for sleep.

Coach Matt

Since sleep has been something I’ve always struggled with, a few tips I follow are to limit caffeine to 7-8 hours before bedtime to minimize its effect on natural sleep rhythms and to stop any technology use (phones/tv/computers) about an hour before bedtime to unplug!

Coach Corey

An interesting analogy to sleep is how you use a credit card. Every time you fall short of the sleep your body needs, you charge more to that card, meaning your sleep debt is growing. One good night, or even a weekend, of sleep isn’t going to pay off your debt. But, with small changes - like going to bed a half hour earlier each night to start - you can begin to slowly reduce that debt and work towards a healthy sleep cycle that you can sustain!

Coach Ngozi

I prioritize sleep by taking a shower before bed, always. Then I sleep like a baby!

Coach Kelly

I like to think of sleep as my superpower in life! When I'm well-rested, my motivation is high, and my mood is cheerful. A life of quality sleep drives us to success by empowering us to be more receptive to learning, heightening creativity, and increasing productivity.

Coach Sarah

I like to think of sleep as the ‘foundational pillar’ of our program. Without a good night’s sleep - it’s much harder to stick to nutrition, exercise, or stress related goals!

Coach Bizzy

Sleep is a foundational aspect of wellbeing because during sleep our hormones that regulate things like appetite and fat storage are working their magic! The choices we make through exercise, nutrition, sleep and how we manage stress all impact our hormones that help lay a strong foundation for fat burning! Sleep is like a secret weapon to keep our bodies fat burning machines.

Coach Kerry

I love to look at sleep as a form of self-care! We all have our own ways of unwinding at the end of the day. Why not prioritize sleep along with those other activities? A good night’s sleep can help us to be our best selves the following day.

Digital health programs like RestoreHealth connect members to expert coaches everyday via 1:1 text messaging and phone calls, whenever and wherever they need it most. Learn more about how our coaches play an integral role in your employees’ wellbeing, here.

References:

  1. NSF’s 2020 report